To support U.S. workforce needs and to help broaden the educational programs with a diverse body of students, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UCI continues to invest in K-12 educational outreach initiatives in 2015.

Our latest outreach effort is The Girls Maker Academy. It will consist of a series of workshops designed to tap into girls’ intrinsic motivation and creativity and provide hands-on experience with the technology in our fabrication labs.

We believe that experience with designing, creating and making things helps fuel curiosity and develops problem-solving skills – and requires the use of math, science and technology know-how. As an educational institution this is important to our mission. We believe the Maker Academy experiences will build confidence and may one day help serve as a bridge to rigorous academics needed from pre-college STEM education.

THE GOALS FOR THE GIRLS MAKER ACADEMY WORKSHOPS

  • Increase confidence & aptitude with design tools and fabrication equipment
  • Increase the interest of girls in applied STEM through design and creative projects
  • Positively impact girls’ attitudes and overall affect toward projects that involve STEM knowledge
  • Provide introductory-level knowledge of processes and tools used for product design and manufacture
  • Help girls understand how the technologies and be used to address larger real-world problems
  • Provide ideas how girls might adopt ‘maker’ project ideas as hobbies or entrepreneurial pursuits
  • Connect projects, labs and discussions to high school, college majors, jobs and career paths